The Forgotten Memories
by AsakuraHannah
Summary: "Kunihiro? That guy has always insisted that he is my partner… but somehow… I can't remember since when… Hell, I'm not even close to him… He is too persistent sometimes."
1. The Wound

**_The Forgotten Memories  
_**

 ** _Genre:_** Romance – Angst – Hurt – Comfort – Drama

 **Rating** : R15

 **Pairing:** (mainly) Izumi no Kami Kanesada x Horikawa Kunihiro

 **Side pairing:** Yamato no Kami Yasusada x Kashuu Kiyomitsu

 **Summary:** _"Kunihiro? That guy has always insisted that he is my partner… but somehow… I can't remember since when… Hell, I'm not even close to him… He is too persistent sometimes."_

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction made for personal satisfaction. Touken Ranbu belongs to DMM and Nitroplus. No connection is implied or should be in inferred.

 ** _A/N:_** Okay first of all, I would like to send my thanks to my aarin pet, _preciiousmochi_ who helped me to beta-read my writing.

This is made for my favorite pairing – Izumi no Kami Kanesada x Horikawa Kunihiro. You both are too adorable for me to not notice it. Oh yeah! Cheers for Ichigo-nii for his brotherly figure. I need him in this story xD There's a slight Yamato no Kami Yasusada x Kashuu Kiyomitsu pairing.

I hope you guys enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.

All feedback and constructive criticisms are welcomed to improve my writing.

Cheers!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Wound**

What will you do when you realize that someone you look up to slowly drifts further and further away from you? Obviously, you'll try to gain his attention back by being persistent. This is the act of fear from losing someone dear, even if that person will hate you for it.

 _"Kunihiro? That guy has always insisted that he is my partner… but somehow… I can't remember since when… Hell, I'm not even close to him… He is too persistent sometimes."_

But… what will you do when that someone actually loses his memory of you…?

* * *

"Kane-san, Kane-san!" the boy around the age of 15, if you counted in human age, ran towards the long haired man. The taller man scoffed when he heard him, grimacing when the so-called partner of him approached him in hasty steps.

Horikawa Kunihiro slowly touched the man he just called Kane-san. His lifetime partner, Izumi no Kami Kanesada; the man he looked up to. The man who had caught his attention the first time their eyes met. His blue orbs were so similar to his; it was as if they are twins. His only brother-like and partner for life.

Horikawa smiled in reply to Kanesada's mocking face. The man turned towards him with unmasked annoyance.

"What is it now? Do you have a problem with me wandering around here?"

"Obviously, yes. After yesterday's battles… Are you alright now?" Horikawa looked at him in concern. His opponent sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm alright, there's no need to worry about every single thing, Kunihiro." Kanesada walked away from the flower bushes that he was just tending to. Together they walked towards the porch.

Kanesada slumped down on the wooden porch lazily. No orders were made for him today. Yesterday's battle was a rampage; he could barely recall what happened after he was heavily injured. He really thought he was done for. Kunihiro was panicking and overreacting as usual. He wasn't even allowed to leave his room until his wound healed. This only worsened his mood.

"Damn Master for making me like this."

"At least he ordered us to retreat." Horikawa replied with a smile, looking down at Kanesada who was staring at the clear blue sky above. Their eyes met for a second before Kanesada sighed and left for the room, ignoring Horikawa on his way inside.

Horikawa looked at his disappearing silhouette in silence. He lowered his gaze to the floor, remembering the event which unfolded yesterday. His hands trembled at the sight of blood all over Kanesada's clothes.

* * *

 _"Kane-san! We did it!" A cheerful sound could be heard in the middle of the battlefield. As Horikawa turned to his right, his eyes widened at the sight of blade being thrust in his direction._

 _"Baka, Kunihiro!"_

 _The next thing he knew, he was knocked down by an impact. The thunder roared loudly, piercing their ears. Horikawa coughed several times, trying to get off from the ground. He snapped his head upwards when he heard Yasusada shouting Kanesada's name._

 _"Kanesada!"_

 _A loud explosion was heard shortly after. Arrows were flying rapidly towards their direction. Horikawa dodged the attack by rolling on the ground, and swung his sword to deflect the arrows._

 _The Kebiishi was stronger than what they had anticipated. As the smoke started to thin out, Horikawa saw most of his teammates were wounded. The sight before him paled his feature._

 _Kanesada had defended him from the bullets and arrows. The taller man was heaving as he clutched at his own chest. Blood was soaking on his clothes, dyeing it redder than ever._

 _"KANE-SAN!" Horikawa's terrified voice could be heard from miles away. He was horrified while he clutched his partner's soiled blue outerwear clothes. Their master ordered for a retreat as soon as Taroutachi managed to wound the enemy boss._

 _That day Horikawa refused to eat until Kanesada was refined. He brought the blood soiled outerwear which his partner used to wear for battles close to his heart._

* * *

"All teams, line up!" Horikawa raised his head at the sudden call. He quickly rose to his feet, running as quick as he could to gather at the Citadel's gate. As soon as he reached the gate, he spotted Kanesada who was approaching lazily. Kashuu Kiyomitsu noticed him and waved.

"Kanesada, are you well enough to join the formation?" he asked in worry. Yasusada appeared behind him and circled his arms around Kashuu's chest.

"Yeah, you were badly injured and…" His blue eyes stared at Horikawa who stood before the three of them. The boy shook his head and smiled. Kashuu elbowed his twin.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Yasusada rubbed his stomach in annoyance.

"Quit it, don't make Horikawa grieve over it."

"I was just stating the fact that…. Ouch... hey!" Yasusada winced when Kashuu pulled his ear, preventing him from talking further and practically dragged him away from the two.

Kanesada snorted.

"What's with those two? So weird…"

"Kashuu-san has a point though, are you alright with joining the formation?"

"I'm alright, don't worry." Kanesada shrugged, pulling up his sword. He noticed an amulet dangling from the hilt of his sword.

"What's this? What a bother…" He yanked it off and threw it to the dirty ground.

"Ah!" Horikawa gasped at the thrown amulet. He picked it up and stared at it, completely dumbfounded.

 _"Kane-san, here! I make this for you."_

 _"What's this? So ugly." although Kanesada laughed at the phoenix's handmade amulet, he reached for his sword and set it around his sword hilt. Horikawa's smile widened when Kanesada rubbed the top of his head, his cheeks tinted slightly red at the affections._

 _"Thank you. I won't let it drop during battle."_

 _"If that happens then I'll make a new one again and again."_

 _Kanesada laughed at his silliness._

 _"Baka…"_

Horikawa rubbed the tears that welled up in his eyes. He took the amulet and put it inside his pocket.

"What's wrong, Kunihiro? We have an expedition. Hurry up before they leave you."

"Right! I'm coming, Kane-san!"

He quickly ran up to join his team.

 _ **TBC**_


	2. Forgotten Memories

**Chapter 2: Forgotten Memories**

Horikawa stared blankly at the ceiling of his bedroom. His eyes drifted to the amulet that Kanesada had thrown away right before his eyes. He put the back of his hand on his forehead, remembering the event from a few days ago.

 _"Horikawa, wake up."_

 _"Mmn? Master?"_

 _"Kanesada is alright now. You shouldn't be sleeping in front of the refinery door, you know."_

 _The boy didn't even believe what he was hearing. He quickly rose to his feet, hastily opening the door of the refinery for all toudan. There he saw Kanesada sitting in front of the refinery utilities. He looked glowingly healthy and fine again. Horikawa absentmindedly dropped the outerwear clothes which was soiled by blood. His eyes glistened with tears. His broke into a run towards the man of his life, enveloping him in an enormous embrace as he silently sobbed._

 _"Kane-san! I heard from Master that you are alright! Thank God!" Horikawa murmured, rocking against the man softly._

 _"I thought… I thought you were done for. I'm glad that you are alright. You were wounded pretty badly, Kane-san." The raven hair boy wiped his tears away._

 _Kanesada stared at him silently. As soon as their eyes met, the taller of the two slapped Horikawa away from him. The boy let out a surprise yelp._

 _"K-Kane-san?" He rubbed his swollen cheek, feeling perturbed towards his partner's action._

 _"Don't just run out hugging me like that. Who the hell are you?"_

 _The statement was enough to make Horikawa look at him in utter confusion._

 _"W-what?" Horikawa stared at his master who watched over them from the doorway._

 _"…Master…?" His eyes were searching for an explanation._

 _"In order to defend you, Kanesada lost his memory. Not all of it; some of them still remained. He was on the verge of disappearing after all."_

 _Horikawa was shaking as soon as the statement went through his head. Kanesada… his partner and the person he looked up to. His other half... He had forgotten about him. It reminded him of the time when he was still level 1. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He hiccupped twice while sobbing, cupping his mouth to restrain himself from breaking down loudly._

 _"Horikawa…" The master gazed at him in sadness._

 _"Horikawa? Huh, are you crying?" Kashuu and Yasusada ran up to him. Both of them coddled the boy as he cried._

The raven haired boy retrieved the amulet. Picking up his sword, he wrapped the amulet around the sword hilt. He examined it for a second before he smiled. The amulet was never replaced with a new one, no matter how many maps they ventured into.

Horikawa rubbed away his tears. He needed to be strong in a time like this. Kanesada might remember something if he kept chasing after him.

* * *

The moon was shining brightly. The sky was clear enough for countless stars to be seen gleaming brightly. The young Wakizashi stepped out from the porch, sighing at the cold summer night. He stared at the sky, blue eyes gleaming in hope.

"Are you still awake?"

A familiar voice made him jump, Horikawa turned to look at the figure lurking in the darkness. He breathed a sigh of relief when a familiar silhouette emerged. The figure's light blue short hair seemingly glowed in the darkness.

"Don't surprise me like that, Ichigo-Nii."

Horikawa gave a smile at the Tantous who were following their big brother.

Ichigo Hitofuri laughed at him while scratching the back of his head apologetically.

"Sorry, I'm just surprised to see someone walking outside of the house at this hour. These little guys refused to change their duty hour."

"I'm brave!" Imanotsurugi spoke up.

"Me too! I'll beat them up!" Atsu Toushirou said in a loud voice.

"They won't stand a chance against me!" Namazou Toushirou added.

The rest agreed and Ichigo could only laugh at their antics.

"But if you are too tired and sleepy, they'll easily beat you." Ichigo patted their heads. Some of them pouted at the gesture.

"Don't treat us like a kid!" Midare scolded.

Horikawa chuckled at their reactions.

"Ichigo-Nii is right. You will have to take turns or you'll pass out during battle." He added, helping the big brother in charge. When some of them was about to retort, Horikawa pointed to himself.

"I'll help him too if that is alright with you guys."

"Aah sure… why not." The blue haired man agreed. The little Tantous "all" hummed in agreement with a little disappointment mixed in their tone.

"Now let's send you guys back to your room." He took Midare's hand and the rest followed suit. Seeing Horikawa still rooted to the spot, Imanotsurugi asked Horikawa a question.

"Horikawa-san…" he walked over to him, concern shown on his face. Ichigo glanced in their direction, stopping dead on his track. The others waited for Imanotsurugi curiously.

"What is it?" Horikawa bent down to be on the same eye level as the boy.

"Hasn't Kanesada-san regained his memory?" he asked worriedly. Horikawa looked at him flabbergasted.

"Aah… well, not yet."

"I see…"

"I won't forget you though, Ichigo-Nii." Atsu suddenly said.

"Me too, I'll never forget you!" Namazou beamed.

"Same here." The other Tantous said, pulling on Ichigo's arms and hands. Ichigo chuckled at them, blushing as he tried to pat on each of their head. He thought he was just becoming the greatest brother in the world, fully blessed by the kids around him.

Horikawa chuckled at them in amusement and patted Imanotsurugi on his shoulder reassuringly.

"He will gain his memory back. Don't worry."

Their eyes met before Imanotsurugi returned the smile. He nodded and ran back to Ichigo.

"I'll be back again, Horikawa." Ichigo called, dragging the kids away.

Horikawa waved goodbye at them.

"I'll guard outside the gate I guess." He muttered to himself and walked away.

The gate stood ajar. Horikawa peeked outside of the gate. The person he longed for was staring off into the space, at the dark deserted ground. He looked to his side when he heard Horikawa coming out from the gate.

"So I'm with you, huh?" Kane crossed his arms. Horikawa smiled at him.

"Kane-san! How is your- umm body… after the expedition?"

"You know, I'm getting tired hearing that, especially from you. Why do you have to ask me that every time we met?"

Horikawa gawked at him in surprise.

"Umm… I'm just worried."

"No need to worry, you are not my master."

'Because no matter how much I ask you, you still won't remember our memories…'

Horikawa clenched his sword.

"Is everything alright?" Ichigo walked in, staring at both of them.

"Nothing. Actually, I'm done here. You can take my place." Kanesada said before walking away. Ichigo stared at Kanesada then change his direction to Horikawa.

"Are you alright?"

Horikawa nodded, he tried to crack a smile but failed miserably.

"You can cry if you want to."

The shorter of the two shook his head, gripping his sword tighter.

"I've cried too much. I must stop myself." The raven wiped away his tears.

Ichigo patted him on the shoulder.

"You are strong, Horikawa. You are strong."

His blue eyes gazed up to the clear sky that was becoming cloudy, as if sympathizing with Horikawa's tears.

 _ **TBC**_


	3. Because of You

**Chapter 3: Because of You**

 _"Kane-san… I'm… I'm Horikawa Kunihiro! Finally… I met you… I'm in charge of assisting you!" The boy stood proudly, his big eyes aimed at him._

 _Kanesada sweat dropped at the guy before him; he was at loss for words. The person named Kunihiro bowed deeply before him; an act to hide his bright red face._

 _"Okay…"_

 _Kanesada's short reply was enough to make Horikawa raise his head. The boy rubbed his nose nervously with his forefinger, chuckling._

 _"I will be your partner from now on. Let's work together to raise our level and become powerful!"_

 _Kanesada's lips stretched into a smile and patted the top of Horikawa's head affectionately, as if he was a small child._

 _"Alright, whatever…"_

Kunihiro's eyes snapped open. A few apprehensive faces were checking him over.

"What?" he sat up with his elbow supporting his weight in momentary confusion.

"You passed out during battle. We had to get back to refine you." Kashuu said, sitting back in relief.

"I see…" Horikawa rubbed his temple. "I'm sorry you guys had to get back because of me."

Kashuu shook his head, smiling. "You have to rest as much as you can."

"Stay strong, don't break and stay sharp." Ichigo said before rising to his feet. Both Kashuu and Yasusada followed Ichigo. Horikawa smiled in appreciation and waved at them before they closed the door.

"Thank you…"

"Kanesada have to know about this," Ichigo clenched his fists in anger once the door was properly closed.

"Don't pick a fight." Yasusada warned before Ichigo stormed away, leaving him and Kashuu alone in the hallway. Before Kashuu could walk away too, Yasusada grabbed a hold of his trembling hand.

"Kiyo…?" he called the nickname that only the two of them knew.

"I'm afraid… what if the same thing happened to us too…? What if I forgot about you? Or what if you were the one who forgot about-" Kashuu's words were stopped abruptly by Yasusada's fingers pressed on his lips.

"Don't jinx it. We are meant to be inseparable." Yasusada whispered. They stared at each other for a moment before Yasusada pulled Kashuu closer to him, claiming his lips.

Kashuu purred against the kiss and wrapped his arms around his shoulder. He embraced Yasusada tighter, deepening the kiss. He gasped breathlessly when Yasusada finally broke the kiss and carried him into his arms. Kashuu groaned in dissatisfaction, not wanting to be separated.

"Make me remember then, don't just let me forget about you… Yasu," he trailed kisses from Yasusada's lips down to his jaw and before sucking on his jugular.

"Hey now… don't make me have an erection in the middle of the hallway…" Yasusada giggled playfully while nuzzling against Kashuu's hair.

* * *

Kanesada looked out the window of his room. The master ordered Horikawa to clean the yard with Kashuu. They were chatting lightly as they work. Kashuu's twin was nowhere to be seen. Something about them tugged his heart; it was unusual to see them chatting casually. Kanesada sighed and rubbed his head. Something was not right with him.

"Like what you see?"

The long haired man turned to see Ichigo leaning against the doorframe.

"Huh? You mean Kunihiro? That guy has always insisted that he is my partner… but somehow… I can't remember since when… Hell, I'm not even close to him… He is too persistent sometimes. What a bother."

Ichigo made a face, visibly unimpressed by the way Kanesada talked about his longtime partner.

"Can't you at least try to remember something? Anything at all?!" Ichigo raised his voice.

Kanesada glared at him. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to remember, give me a break. Why is everybody acting as if I'm the one who's at fault here?" he crossed his arms in front of his chest and huffed irritatingly.

Ichigo clicked his tongue impatiently.

"He is your partner ever since you guys were still level 1. Don't you get it? He is breaking on the inside. It's all... because of you!"

A voice from downstairs hollered just when Kanesada was about to retort back.

"What's with the yelling? I can hear your voice all the way downstairs!" Kousetsu Samonji yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

He was in the middle of mixing dough in a bowl when the argument broke out. It was pretty rare to hear Ichigo raising his voice to another Toudan. As much as he was ready to interfere in a sword fight breaking out in the middle of the house, he had his hands full with another task at the moment.

"If you wanna fight, please do it in a proper room!" he barked at the two. Whoever Ichigo was fighting with, he only hoped that the room would still stay intact by the time it was over.

"Kousetsu… the eggs exploded." Sayo Samonji appeared from the kitchen.

Kousetsu yelped in surprise seeing his brother's face and torso smeared all over by flour and egg yolk.

"What happened?" He quickly ran back to the kitchen.

Sayo only hummed in reply with his poker face.

"Sayo! My Sayo!" Souza Samonji's voice echoed throughout the hallway.

Kanesada and Ichigo were glaring at each other silently; as if trying to kill each other with their death glare.

"Try to remember something." Ichigo broke off the eye contact after a few minutes and left the room.

Kanesada looked out of the window again where Horikawa was. He had already finished sweeping the yard.

"Because of me, huh?" he muttered to himself.

* * *

It was time for a snack right after Horikawa finished putting away the cleaning tools. Kanesada came out from the house with a tray of tea and dango. Horikawa spotted him and jogged over to help.

"Kane-san, please let me do it." Horikawa offered with a warm smile. Kanesada shook his head.

"Go take a bath, you are sweaty," he pushed Horikawa's sword that was on the tea table aside with the tray in order to set it down. The phoenix amulet around the hilt of the sword caught his eyes.

The shorter of the two nodded obediently at the order and picked his sword up from the table. Just when he was about to saunter away, Kanesada stopped him.

"That amulet…"

Horikawa looked down at his sword.

"Huh? Ah, what's wrong with the amulet?" The boy shifted from one leg to another nervously.

"I was just curious. It was tied on my sword hilt before…"

"Ah… well… It was such a waste for you to throw it away, so I saved it."

Kanesada stared at him for a moment.

"Why do you keep doing these kind of things? Always insisting that you are my partner… Helping me with everything… Annoying me by fussing over my health… And saving the amulet-" Kanesada trailed off when he saw Horikawa's eyes glistened with tears.

"Because I care about you! Is that wrong? Can't I do things that I thought would help you remember things? I–" He quickly clasped his hand over his mouth when the words slipped through his lips.

"Help me to remember…? So I guess it's true that… I've indeed lost some of my memories, huh? People kept pestering me about my conditions lately. Did I miss something? What happened?"

A cool breeze was blowing, but it did little to cool Kanesada down. He grew impatient as Horikawa's silence stretched on.

"Kunihiro, tell me what exactly happened!" he demanded angrily.

Horikawa shook his head.

"I can't tell until you remember it by yourself."

"What kind of excuse is that? Why can't you explain to me the reason behind your tears?" Kanesada hissed. The raven haired boy winced at his words.

"I'm sorry... It's just that I don't think you'll be happy to hear it in your current state. So… let's just stay the way we are now, until you remember..." Horikawa smiled painfully while averting Kanesada's demanding gaze.

 _'I can't possibly tell you that you are my lover in this condition, can I?'_

Kanesada raised his hand. The boy in front of him flinched at his action. However, the contact that his hand made with the top of his head was a gentle one instead. The boy's cheeks turned scarlet at the touch. He glanced back at the other man, as if silently asking for the reason behind his action with his eyes. Kanesada's eyes widened at the scarlet hue adorning Horikawa's cheeks.

"There's a leaf on your hair," the taller of the two muttered, before pulling his hand away.

"….." Horikawa took a few steps back and ran back inside the house.

"Wait, Kunihiro!" Kanesada clicked his tongue, sighing heavily.

The wind blew soothingly, everything went quiet all of the sudden.

"No wonder why everyone is acting strange... Why did I not remember a thing?" he looked at the tea that was cooling on the table before walking over and slumping down on the seat.

"Darn it… What did I lose?" He murmured to himself while sipping on his tea. The taste was slightly different than usual. The long haired guy blinked at his own words.

 _The usual? Who was the one that had always prepared his tea?_

Kanesada winced at the splitting headache that attacked him. He clutched his head painfully; his sudden movement caused the tea to spill all over the tray.

 _Kuni… hiro?_

"Kunihiro? Why would he prepare tea for me?"

Kanesada stared at the dango. He had prepared 4 dango sticks out of habit because he would usually ate them together with someone. But… who?

"I don't get it!" he banged his fist on the table frustratingly.

On the other side of the closed door, Horikawa slid down onto the tatami while biting his bottom lip and sighed exasperatedly.

 _'Please don't do things that you would usually do to me. It's painful when I know you don't even remember the gestures.'_

He absent-mindedly touched the top of his head while blushing furiously.

 ** _TBC_**


	4. Reminiscent

**Chapter 4: Reminiscent**

The weather seemed nice for a long walk. The troops were practically enjoying the scenery while advancing to their next destination. The current hills had many good spots to spread a sheet for a meal. Horikawa was glancing around in awe throughout the trek.

"It's such a nice view from up here. People are planting vegetables down there," Yasusada pointed at the field to Kashuu. They were holding hands and looking at the small houses they passed by.

"So serene," Hotarumaru crouched down, picking up the grass below his feet with his hands. His eyes gazed at the horizon.

"Let's get moving." Taroutachi picked up his pace. Hotarumaru clicked his tongue before standing up straight and followed him.

"Master said there was Kebiishi spawning somewhere near the last map we went into." Horikawa said, checking the map in his hands.

"We'll just have kill it and go straight home!" Kanesada added, smirking widely. He strolled past Taroutachi with his sword resting on his shoulder.

"Be careful, it was pretty strong the last time we encountered it," he said, tailing his partner.

"Keh! I'm strong!" The long haired man scoffed.

Both Kashuu and Yasusada stared at each other.

"We have to keep an eye on him." Ichigo said, his eyes never leaving Kanesada.

"If he breaks, Horikawa will break." Kashuu said in a quiet voice. Yasusada gave his hand a firm squeeze.

"I'm alright." Kashuu whispered close to his ear. The twins smiled at each other.

"Be safe." Yasusada whispered back. A nod from Kashuu calmed his heart.

The battle grew more difficult as the troops marched further down the deserted ground. As soon as they reached the destination, each of them stood by their positions while the enemies spawned around them. The lightning struck again as the troops clashed their swords with the enemies, deflecting any flying arrows and rocks.

Horikawa guarded Kanesada's back. The taller man was thoroughly enjoying swinging his sword and killing the enemies. Fewer enemies were getting spawned after each of them was defeated. The enemy captain's attacks were pretty fast. Fortunately, Horikawa didn't miss seeing it lurch towards them.

"Kane-san!" he shouted, pushing Kanesada aside abruptly and clashed his sword with the Kebiishi which was twice the size of him. His sword cracked and fractured from the impact. Horikawa coughed up blood from the damage.

"Horikawa!"

The other teammates quickly dispatched the remaining enemies and ran towards their direction.

Kanesada's eyes widened as memory came flooding back to him and attacked him like crazy.

"Kane-san! We did it!"

"Baka, Kunihiro!"

It was a recollection of his last battle before he lost his memory. He had protected Horikawa from the enemy's blade.

"KANE-SAN!" Horikawa's terrified voice could be heard from miles away.

Something similar had happened before he was refined. During the explosion, he was on the verge of breaking and consequently lost his memory during the refinement.

"You bastard... I'LL KILL YOU!" Kanesada shouted as he swung his sword, slicing the Kebiishi.

The party gasped at Kanesada's awakening. The Kebiishi was instantly killed by the powerful blow and disintegrated into dust. Horikawa dropped to his knees, gasping in relief. Kanesada caught him in his arms before he collapsed.

"Baka... You shouldn't have protected me like that. It should have been the other way round." Kanesada muttered, smiling down at Horikawa who chuckled in return. Everyone smiled at the returning of the old Kanesada.

"Kane-san… We did it. And you finally gained your memory back..." Horikawa mumbled weakly as Kanesada carried him up in his arms.

"Stop talking or you'll definitely break down."

"Let's go back." Taroutachi couldn't hold his smile back at the sight of the couple in front of him.

The atmosphere lightened considerably on their journey back home with everyone else surrounding Kanesada and Horikawa.

That night, there was a big feast to celebrate two events – the defeat of the Kebiishi and the recovery of Kanesada. Horikawa set a tray of tea down beside Kanesada with a big smile on his face.

"Here, Kane-san. The usual tea, brewed to your liking."

"Are you sure it's alright to wander around?"

"I'm alright, don't worry." Horikawa assured, swinging his arms slightly to show that his body was fit enough.

Kanesada smirked at him.

"You know, I tried to make the tea on my own and it tasted different than yours." The taller of the two said after he took a sip of his drink. Horikawa giggled.

"Well I know what you like the most." He explained while nodding. Kanesada laughed and patted on Horikawa's head.

"Hey, don't talk. Eat as much as you can!"

The couple chuckled and started digging in their food.

That night most of the Toudans were too full to move. Some even slept in the middle of the living room.

Kanesada went outside to the porch, staring at the nearby fish pond. He took a deep breath of the fresh night air and sighed contently. He was glad that he was himself again. The Uchigatana heard the door that separated the living room slid open before it was closed again. Horikawa sauntered to the porch, approaching his lifetime partner with a smile on his face.

"Can't sleep?" The boy asked his lover.

"Aah well… The quiet night and the fresh air made me want to gaze at the sky all night long." Kanesada patted the porch beside him as he sat down, inviting Horikawa to join him. He felt so content to have his lover sat by his side.

The young Wakizashi leaned against his shoulder, happy to have their life back to normal. Kanesada peeked down on Horikawa's happy face. He caressed his head lightly and breathed out anxiously.

"I'm sorry... that you had to go through that."

"No, it's not your fault. You protected me."

"Yes, but still, I'm not happy with what you are doing back then!" Kanesada retorted.

"Is it wrong to protect the one you love?" Horikawa shot back, a little annoyed. They stared at each other before Kanesada raised his hand in defeat.

"We are worrying over each other's action. Are we children?"

Horikawa burst out laughing. His opponent smiled at his hearty laughter. It was so melodic to his ears.

"By the way, here, I made a new amulet for you." Horikawa handed over the new amulet to Kanesada.

Kanesada eyed at the handmade amulet which was embroidered with Horikawa's name on it.

"Mine has your name on it. Just so we'll remember each other if the same thing happens again next time. I won't forget you and you won't forget me."

Kanesada wrapped his fingers around the amulet preciously.

"I promise, no matter how hard the battle was, I won't break." Kanesada vowed.

Horikawa nodded in satisfaction. He gasped softly when Kanesada pulled him into his arms.

"I promise I won't ever forget you anymore." He whispered to his ear, reassuring him as he rubbed Horikawa's back. His lover blinked back his tears, trying to stop himself from sobbing like a baby. He circled his arms around the larger man, pulling him closer. He couldn't stop himself from silently soaking Kanesada's clothes with his tears. His lover caressed his back and kissed the top of his head while whispering sweet nothings to him.

"I love you, don't cry…" He whispered sweetly, kissing his earlobe. Horikawa was practically clinging on to him as he was brought up to his lap.

"Kane-san… I'm happy that you are back… I love you." he wrapped his arms around Kanesada's neck and peered into his eyes. Kanesada smiled, pecking his lips softly.

"Any welcome back gift for me?" The long hair man chuckled after seeing his lover's cheeks turning red.

Kanesada rewarded Horikawa's warm cheeks with a soft kiss and his lips with a warm kiss, welcoming the longing feeling in his heart. His lover purred when their lips clashed, pressing his body to him as closely as possible as they savored each other, not wanting to break the kiss anytime soon.

Kanesada licked his lips, begging for entrance. Horikawa opened them, inviting his lover's tongue to invade his warm crevice. Feelings surged when their tongue met. It made him moan in delight.

"Umn…" he caressed Kanesada's long hair, squirming on his lap. The friction against his lower belly made him gasp.

"Horikawa" Kanesada whispered, his hand unbuttoning a few buttons of his clothes.

"Ummn? Kane-san?" He opened his mouth and stuttered as his lover marked him on his neck. His eyes widened at realization. "Wait, we shouldn't do anything in here… not on the porch."

"Why not? Everyone is asleep. Just try to keep it down."

"W-wait, Kane-san! It's impossible!" He protested, his face was already as red as a tomato. He was silenced by another kiss from his lover. He could only moan in return.

* * *

"Such a clear blue sky." Yasusada said as he gazed at the vast starry sky from the balcony. Kashuu wrapped his arms around him from behind. Yasusada smiled at the affection.

"Kiyo, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" His lover shook his head. He could see a few bruises formed on several places on Kashuu's body under the moonlight. He pulled him closer and kissed his forehead.

"It's alright," he replied before his eyes caught something.

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed. Yasusada looked at him questioningly. Kashuu sprinted to the wooden railing of the balcony and squinted his eyes to get a better look at the porch near to the pond. Yasusada gawked at the sight before him.

"Oh wow… maybe we should do that too." He was cut off by Kashuu's punch on his head.

"Don't be crazy!" He rasped out, trying to block out the image that was burned onto his retinas.

"At least they are together again." Yasusada chuckled, walking back inside his room. Kashuu massaged his temple and closed the curtain.

"Just hope no one else is watching them."

Yasusada laughed.

"There will be big news in the morning if someone was watching."

Kashuu grunted and landed on the futon.

* * *

 _What will you do when that someone actually loses his memory of you…?_

 _"Stay strong, don't break and stay sharp."_

That was the best advice from Ichigo-nii!

Horikawa smiled happily. He saw Kanesada strolling around the garden tending to his flowers.

"Kane-san!" He chased after his lover.

 ** _The End_**

 ** _ ** _Back to the beginning :D ..._** I will runaway now... _**


End file.
